Tibetans set themselves on fire in China

Six Tibetans have set themselves on fire in China in the past two days as the country's leaders gather to begin a pivotal leadership transition, the Tibetan government in exile said.

"It is confirmed that this is the sixth, that he has immolated, but we don't have details about his age or name," spokesman Lobsang Choedak said from the Indian town of Dharamshala, the home of the exile government.

Three of the confirmed burnings took place in Tibetan-inhabited areas of Aba County in Sichuan province, a focus of previous protests, while the fourth was in Huangnan prefecture in Qinghai province.

Details about the fifth and sixth burnings are not yet clear.

"The self-immolations in Tibet are an appeal to the international community, to the Chinese government and to the Chinese people as human beings to hear their cry for help," Dicki Chhoyang, information secretary for the government, said.

The Chinese Communist Party has gathered for the start of its 18th congress during which new leaders will be named in a once-in-a-decade transition in top positions.

Radio Free Asia reported that two of the Tibetans had died, including a young mother called Tamdrin Tso.

More than 60 ethnic Tibetans, many of them monks and nuns, have set themselves on fire in China since February 2009 to protest against Beijing's rule in Tibet.